Pneumatic grain-elevator



(No Model.)

J. LEWIS.

PNBUMATIO GRAIN ELEVATOR.

Patented Nov. 2, 1886.

llnirno STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH LEWIS, OF SOUTH EVANSTON, ILLINOIS.

PNEUMATIC GR AlN-ELEVATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 351,782, dated November 2, 1886. Application filed February 13, 1886. Serial No. 191,835. (No model.) 7

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH LEWIS, a sub ject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing in South Evauston. in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Pneumatic Grain-Elevators, of'which the following is a specification.

This invention has relation to improvements to be used in connection with the elevator shown in the patent to me of September 18, 1883, No. 285,017. In my said patented eleyator the entire body of grain, which .may happen to be in the elevating-tube whenever the feeding end becomes choked so that the power of the blast is withdrawn, falls to the bottom of the tube, and the same is true if the blast is stopped by any other-cause.

To avoid both the choking at the inlet end of the elevator, and also the falling of the entire body of grain to the bottom when the blast is stopped, are the objects of the present invention.

The first object I accomplish as follows: \Vhere the grain is taken directly from a hopper into the elevator-tube, I make said hopper to rotate, thereby keeping the grain in motion therein and preventing the choking at that point; and the first feature of the invention,

therefore, consists in the combination, with the elevating-tube of a pneumatic elevator, of a revolving feed-hopper in. which the grain is kept constantly moving toward the orifice of the tube.

The other branch of the invention consists For elevating grain to a considerable altitude, I find it beneficial to place in the elevator-tube A relays or bends a, at suitable disback thereof.

tances apart, for the purpose of preventing the fall of the entire body of grain to the bottom when the blast is stopped from any cause, as already stated. The form ,of bend shown in Fig. 1 is that of a horizontal coil, which I term a coil-valve, as it permits the upward passage of the grain and prevents any falling Instead, however, of a coil, the tube may be given short horizontal bends, as at B in Fig. 3, the intervening vertical portions of the tube being zigzag; or the entire tube may be coiled spirally, so that the frie tion upon the grain would be sufficient to pre vent its falling back; but I deem the coil-valve or the zigzag form the preferable construction. As these bends or relays in the pipe may detract somewhat from the power of the blast, I provide an auxiliary blast at each of them. This auxiliary blast may be admitted through pipe 0 from the branch blast pipe D, the nozzles attached to the pipes 0 being turned upward, as indicated in Fig. 1 by the dotted lines. In this manner I compensate for any loss of power caused by the bends of the elevator-tube, and'if any increased force results in the blast, such will be beneficial, especially where the induced current is employed to feed the elevator.

E is the revolving hopper. It is placed upon the blast-supplying pipe F, and rotates around the latter, being supported by anti friction rollers G, placed under its outstanding rim, 9. The rotating power is communicated by the worm H to the gear J, secured to the bottom of the hopper. The jet orifice K, by which the blast is delivered, is inserted in the center of the hopper and may rotate therewith. The interior of the hopper is preferably provided with radiating ribs L, whereby the grain is carried around and caused to distribute itself evenly throughout thehopper. The lower end of the elevator-tube is provided with an open stationary cone, M. With this rotating hopper the grain cannot become lodged or wedged therein, so as to stop the feed. It is of course desirable that the grain be fed to it at a uniform speed, and as that is usually a matter not provided for, I have illustrated a form of grain-car from which the grain can be discharged into the chute N, feeding this hopper IOO at the right of Fig. 1. The bottom of this car is provided with a hinged door, Q, which drops between a curved plate, 0, at the side of the car, and guards P at each side of the door, the extent to which the door opens being regulated by a chain, 12, and a worm-driven drum, Q, by which the door is operated. With this construction the outflow of grain from the car can be regulated with accuracyduring the entire unloading operation. Of courseI lay no claim herein to this form of car, as I am well aware that it is not properly claimable in this application; but I do not wish to be understood as waiving any right to which I am now entitled as inventor thereof.

It will be understood that so far as those features of my invention are concerned which do not include the blast discharging through the center of the hopper, as shown, that the grain may be withdrawn from the hopper by suction created in the elevatingtube in any known way and discharged into the apparatus shown by inein Patent No. 287,033, of October I 23, 1883, or some other vaeuum-chan1ber; and in connection with any such construction, as well as with the construction specially shown herein, I do not wish to be limited to a rotating hopper, as the purpose of imparting motion to the hopper is simply to keep the grain in a state of agitation, and hence any moving hopper adapted to perform that function will answer the purpose. I prefer, however, that the hoppershould revolve.

I claim 1. The combination, with the elevating-tube of a pneumatic grain-elevator, of the agitating feed-hopper, substantially as specified.

2. The combination of a blast-conduit, an agitating feed-hopper located at the end of said blast-conduit, and an elevating-tube, substantially as specified.

3. The combination, with the blast-conduit and the elevating-tube, of the hopper having internal ribs, and mechanism for rotating the hopper, substantially as specified.

4.. In a pneumatic elevator, an elevatingtube having relays or bends formed therein, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. In a pneumatic elevator, the elevatingt'ube having relays or bends formed therein, in combination with auxiliary blast-supplying pipes, substantially as specified.

6. The pneumatic elevator consisting of the agitating-hopper, the elevating-tube provided with relays or bends, and the blast-supplying conduit opening through the middle of the hopper, substantially as specified.

JOSEPH LEWIS.

Witnesses:

H. M..MUNDAY, LEW. E. CURTIs. 

